This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/business-13497656
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Tepco confirms extra partial fuel rod meltdown at plant | Tepco confirms extra partial fuel rod meltdown at plant |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) has confirmed the meltdown of extra fuel rods in reactors at its damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant. | |
| The company said that the rods were in its Number 2 and Number 3 reactors. | |
| Tepco has been trying to contain radiation from the plant, crippled by the 11 March earthquake and tsunami. | |
| The company said that it planned to stick to its timetable of getting the radiation under control by January. | |
| Tepco had said earlier that rods at its Number 1 reactor had also melted down. It was thought that a similar problem had occurred in the other reactors but it was difficult to confirm. | |
| "Based on our analysis, we have reached the conclusion that a certain amount of nuclear fuel has melted down," Ken Matsuda, a Tepco spokesman told the BBC. | "Based on our analysis, we have reached the conclusion that a certain amount of nuclear fuel has melted down," Ken Matsuda, a Tepco spokesman told the BBC. |
| He said the analysis came from a report that Tepco was required to submit to Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (Nisa). | |
| Nuclear meltdown | |
| The spokesman added that most of the fuel from the Number 2 reactor had melted approximately 100 hours after the earthquake, which measured 9 on the Richter scale, struck Japan. | |
| The meltdown in the Number 3 reactor took place about 60 hours after the quake. | |
| Mr Matsuda said the new discovery would not alter Tepco's plans to reach a "cold shutdown" of the power plant by January. | |
| The company has been trying to cool the reactors and get the unstable fuel rods back under control. | The company has been trying to cool the reactors and get the unstable fuel rods back under control. |
| "This result does not change our work," he said. | |
| Last week, the president of Tepco, Masataka Shimizu, resigned. He will be replaced by managing director Toshio Nishizawa. | Last week, the president of Tepco, Masataka Shimizu, resigned. He will be replaced by managing director Toshio Nishizawa. |
| The announcement came on the same day the company reported an annual loss of 1.25tn yen ($15.3bn; £9.4bn). | The announcement came on the same day the company reported an annual loss of 1.25tn yen ($15.3bn; £9.4bn). |
| Tepco's loss is a record for a non-financial firm in Japan. | Tepco's loss is a record for a non-financial firm in Japan. |
| The company's share price has fallen more than 80% since the earthquake. | The company's share price has fallen more than 80% since the earthquake. |